First Customer
by thewarlockandtheshadowhunter
Summary: Modern Day Bookshop AU. Remus is bored out of his mind in the shop, trying not to think about the potential danger his job is in. Not an easy thing to do, until his first customer and what can only be described as the perfect distraction walks in. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.
1. First Customer

**So, originally this was going to be my next story for the Quidditch fanfiction competition...and then I realised I'd forgotten my additional prompts, but I was in too deep to rewrite it. Enjoy!**

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Remus sighed tiredly from his spot behind the counter. It was yet another slow day in the bookshop and it was driving him slowly crazy. That and the fact that he knew if business kept going the way it was the shop would get shut down and he'd have to go job hunting. Getting this job had been hard enough, he'd be lucky if he even got an interview for another job, what with the way shops were closing left, right and centre. Bloody recession.

With another sigh he got up from his spot and decided to walk around and organise the books for probably the millionth time that day. He swore that the only reason the paper volumes didn't get dusty was because he moved them around so often.

Going towards his favourite section first, he started moving around the fantasy books, making sure all of the series were together and that the authors were in alphabetical order. It was tedious, yet strangely satisfying work. Then again, any work felt satisfying at this point, since it helped the slow hands of the clock move faster than when he was sat behind the counter staring at them, cursing their lack of haste. Didn't they know that work was boring and that he had a lot of things that he could be doing rather than sitting in an empty shop?

He froze as he heard a bell tinkling. Quickly, he put down the book that had been in his hand and rushed back to the counter before whoever had entered saw he wasn't there in the first place. He assumed it was his boss, Mrs McGonagall. She liked to check up on the shop every few days and she hated it when Remus wasn't behind the counter. According to her, he should be there at all times so that customers knew where to go if they needed help. On several occasions, Remus had had to resist the urge to point out that the shop was not _that _big. It would be easy to find him no matter where he was, especially as his name tag proved he wasn't just another shopper. It was his love for McGonagall, his job and his hatred for annoying her that had made him bite his tongue when talking to the old woman about the subject.

However, as he quickly took his place behind the counter, the person who had entered the shop came into view. And he was definitely not McGonagall.

The boy that was approaching him was gorgeous – there was no other way to describe him. He looked as if he was roughly the same age as Remus, with dark hair almost reaching his shoulders and a walk and posture that screamed self-confidence. As he got closer Remus could see his dark brown eyes, and the smile that looked like it was never off his face.

Remus tried not to openly ogle him as the boy stopped just in front of the counter. "Hi. I'm looking for a present for someone, although I could do with a bit of help," he admitted, his voice deep and adorably scratchy and happy and almost shy and Remus realised he should probably start focusing on what the customer wanted before his thoughts ran away from him completely.

"Right, yes, of course. Any idea what they like to read?" Remus asked, starting to move once again from his spot behind the counter so that he could go to whatever section the customer directed him to.

"Well…she's into history?" He said, as if uncertain that that was the correct answer, His heart dropping, Remus noted the use of the word she. Probably a girlfriend. Not that Remus had had much chance in the first place, but there definitely wasn't any now.

"Okay, well the history section is this way," he smiled and started to walk towards one of the largest sections of the shop. McGonagall loved history and stocked every book she could within the genre. Remus personally didn't enjoy the subject that much, but then again his high school teacher, Mr. Binns, could've made the subject of time travel boring. He just had one of those voices that droned on and made you want to fall asleep.

He glanced back at the first customer of the day and noted with a small amount of amusement the overwhelmed and slightly panicked look on his face. "I really don't know what I'm doing," he mumbled, barely loud enough for Remus to hear what he was saying.

"Do you know what period of history she likes specifically?" Remus inquired, trying to be helpful.

"I think…I think she likes reading about the witch hunts?" He replied, still sounding unsure as to whether he had said the right thing or not. Even in his confusion, Remus could see a small smile tugging on the corners of the boy's lips. He quickly snapped his thoughts back to attention before they could run away from him again.

"Ok, well. I know my boss has a particular preference for this book," he stated, walking over to the witch hunts section and pulling out one of the many copies of his boss's favourite book. She really was quite biased when she was buying in the stock. "I'm sure it'll make a great gift," he continued, turning to the confused boy and once again trying not to stare as he handed him the book.

He looked down at it, bouncing the book slightly as if weighing it up. "Well, if it's good enough for the owner of such a fine establishment, then I'm sure it's good enough for Evans," he said finally, as if Remus knew who Evans was. He assumed it was the girl's last name and realised that it did ring a faint bell. However, he ignored it and nodded along with the customer's words.

"Alright. Is that all?" He asked politely.

The man looked up at him and Remus felt the irrational urge to blush. He felt like he was being studied. It was a few moments before he answered, "Yeah, I guess so," he replied with a small nod.

"Well, if you'd like to follow me back to the counter…" Remus trailed off, starting to move before the other had the chance to respond. "I can gift wrap that for you if you like?" He offered over his shoulder as he once again went back behind the counter.

As the man appeared in front of him, the look of relief was clear on his face. "Could you? I'm rubbish at gift wrapping, I usually just stick a bow on it and call it quits," he admitted with a soft chuckle. Remus chuckled with him, crouching down to grab the wrapping supplies from the shelf under the desk, using the short time he had to calm the blush that had decided to bloom on his cheeks as he heard the man chuckle. He'd never heard such a sweet sound before, it made him want to tell every corny joke he'd ever heard just to hear it again.

Once the blush had gone away, he straightened up, laying out the wrapping paper and taking the book back. He kept his eyes and focus on the process of wrapping the book. He felt as if the long haired man was staring at him – not at his hands, as most people did when he wrapped books for them - but at his lowered head, which seemed strange, but made him want to blush again anyway.

"So, Remus, what do you do when you aren't wrapping gifts for people who can't even put tinfoil around a sandwich?" A voice interrupted his methodical thinking. He momentarily freaked out about the other guy knowing his name, since he was positive he hadn't told him it, before remembering he was wearing a name tag.

He shrugged, "Reading, watching TV…regular, non-work related things I suppose," he answered, somewhat vaguely.

"Reading isn't work related?" The customer asked sceptically. Remus chuckled, glancing up and seeing the sceptic look the man's face.

"Ok, apart from reading I do non-work related things," he conceded, once again focusing on wrapping the book.

"I guess your girlfriend's into reading?" The seemingly casual question once again jolted Remus and stalled his methodical thinking.

"I don't have a girlfriend and I never will," he stated simply, praying that the guy wasn't homophobic because that really would ruin his daydream of running off into the sunset with the handsome stranger.

"Boyfriend?" He inquired innocently.

"Don't have one of those either," he replied, feeling immensely relieved that he hadn't been crushing on a homophobic asshole. He'd made that mistake before and it had not been fun to know that the guy he had liked hated him with every fibre of his being.

"Cute guy like you? You must be fighting them off with a stick," he retorted, sounding strangely relieved, Remus decided he was imagining it as the bright blush coloured his cheeks.

"Th-thank you, but believe me, I'm not," he replied, finally finishing wrapping. He looked up and made eye contact with the customer, who was grinning as if it he had only just realised it was Christmas Eve. "That'll be £13," Remus said finally, once he'd remembered how to speak, which took a lot longer than he would like to admit.

"Right, yeah…" He nodded as if he too was coming out of a daze, pulling out his wallet and pulling out £15. "Keep the change," he said as he stuffed the wallet back into his pocket.

"Thanks, I'm sure your girlfriend will love the book," he commented with a small smile before he put the cash into the till. When he looked back up the customer was still standing there, giving Remus a confused look. "What?" Remus asked finally.

"Lily isn't my girlfriend!" He blurted, as if the idea was insane and completely impossible.

"Oh…right, uh…sorry…" Remus stammered, his cheeks turning pink. It was then that something clicked, "Wait, you're getting this for Lily Evans?"

He slowly nodded, "Yeah…"

"I know Lily Evans. She used to work here," Remus lightly shrugged. "She still dating, what was it, James?" He asked, trying to remember. He was still in touch with Lily, but they didn't talk often and Remus had never met her boyfriend.

He smiled, "Yeah, they're still together. I don't think they're ever breaking up – I think they'll make it to marriage and everything," he commented, the words coming out as if he'd spoken them many times before.

"That's good," Remus nodded.

"My name's Sirius. Do you have a pen?" He asked, the question seeming quite random to Remus considering what they had just been talking about.

"Yeah, right here," he answered, plucking the pen from its hiding spot behind the till before offering it to Sirius.

"Thanks," Sirius took the pen and pulled off the lid, lightly grasping Remus's hand so that the back of it was facing towards the ceiling. Before the bewildered worker could say anything, Sirius was scribbling a series of digits onto his hand before giving the pen back to him.

"Lily was right. She said you were cute and sweet," Sirius stated, the smile on his lips widening as Remus started blushing. "And even if I'm not her boyfriend. I'm very open to the possibility of being yours," he continued, winking at Remus as he picked up the wrapped book.

Remus suddenly didn't know how to formulate a sentence, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Sirius chuckled, grinning at Remus. "See you later, Remus," he said cheerily before leaving the shop, looking more like he was leaping out rather than walking. The small bell tinkled and once again Remus was alone in the shop.

He looked down at the number like he couldn't believe it was actually written there. As he realised that he wasn't imaging things and that the number really was there, he grinned and made a mental note to text Sirius as soon as his shift was over. And to text a thank you to Lily.


	2. First Text

"Well?"

Sirius wasn't startled as he dropped his keys into the small bowl that the woman who was now facing him expectantly had bought him as a moving in present, closing the door behind him with his free hand. He put the wrapped up book down next to the bowl. He had been expecting his surprise visitor.

"I knew letting James keep a key to my flat was a bad idea," he commented dryly, smirking up at Lily who only rolled her eyes in response.

"Well?" She repeated, clearly not in the mood for Sirius's jokes in that moment. She seemed a little impatient for his answer, which wasn't good in anyone's book. An impatient Lily could be a scary Lily.

"Fine, fine. I gave him my number, and you were right," he informed her as he walked into the living room, throwing his leather jacket over the arm of the couch before falling back onto it. If anything, Lily hadn't been completely honest with him. She'd said Remus was cute, but...God, He'd been breathtaking. If anything, it only confirmed his suspicions that Lily had been with James too long to recognise a good-looking guy when she saw one. His eyes had been so bright, his smile soft and shy...

Sirius had been too busy thinking about Remus to realise that Lily was trying to talk to him. "Hmm?" He hummed softly, turning to look over at the clearly excited red-head. It was a far cry from the glare she'd been shooting him when he walked in and he had to admit that he was glad for the change of expression.

She rolled her eyes, "Sirius, pay attention! I said, what did you buy?" She repeated, badly masking her curiosity.

"Oh, it's a birthday present for you," he answered with a light shrug. He frowned slightly as Lily started laughing, not in on whatever joke was amusing her so much. He had went out and got her a nice present - admittedly just so that he had a reason to go into the bookshop, but that wasn't the point - and now she was laughing at him? That seemed like an unfair reaction, especially since she didn't know what it was yet. It wasn't like it was the present he'd gotten her a few years ago, that was so bad he tried to block the memory from his mind completely. "What?" He asked finally.

"My birthday was two months ago! You got me that mug that said 'Weird enough to love James Potter', remember?" She prompted him.

That lying bastard! He was going to give James Potter a piece of his mind later. It had been a text from his best mate that had reminded him that it was Lily's birthday soon in the first place.

"Maybe I'm just very organised," he retorted.

"You might be many things, Sirius, but organised is not one of them," Lily pointed out, still sniggering.

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever, it's your boyfriend's fault anyway," he muttered, hopping up from his seat and going to the kitchen. "Drink?" He offered, pulling out a can of full sugar Coca Cola for himself. Not that he really needed the extra sugar, he was already like a puppy trapped in a man's body, but that didn't stop him from drinking it. And his friends were past trying to get him to at least start drinking the sugar-free stuff - his protests that it didn't taste as good had fallen on deaf and now uncaring ears.

Even Lily, although she looked as though she still wanted to protest as she looked at the can in his hand. Finally, he could see the she had played the argument out in her head and knew that he wouldn't listen no matter what she said and she let out a quiet sigh of defeat. "No thank you."

He lightly shrugged and closed the fridge door, the small thud echoing faintly through the kitchen. "So, how likely do you think it is the Remus will text me?" He asked finally, focusing on popping open his can as he asked the question that had been gnawing at him ever since he'd left the bookshop. He tried not to flush with embarrassment as he heard Lily's fond chuckle - he was Sirius Black, he didn't worry about these things. Not usually.

"Very likely," she reassured him.

"You can't know that. It's been hours and I still haven't had anything yet," Sirius murmured, nibbling his bottom lip nervously. He wasn't used to the strange butterflies that were filling his stomach, then again he wasn't used to wanting something that constituted as an actual relationship. He didn't do long-term relationships. But the more Lily had told him about Remus Lupin, the more he'd wanted to meet him and find out more. And when he'd met him...well, that was when he realised he was screwed. Because if all of Lily's stories were true - and he had a hunch they were -, then Remus was the full, perfect package.

Which made him totally out of Sirius's league.

"He will, I promise. He only hasn't texted because his shift hasn't finished yet," she explained, glancing up at the clock. "And it won't for another hour or so. And if McGonagall does one of her surprise checks and catches him on his phone he'd be dead meat. Trust me, in just over an hour he'll text you and you'll feel like a complete idiot for ever doubting him," she reassured him confidently, as if she'd had experience. He supposed she had - she did used to work with the guy.

"Okay, okay, if you say so," he surrendered, walking past her and back into the living room, once again flopping back onto the couch. Although, he was more careful with his flopping this time - he had a drink in his hand, after all.

Lily rolled her eyes, as if sensing that Sirius's surrender was grudging and that he hadn't believed a single word she had just said. She wasn't annoyed though, if anything she was used to it by now. For all of his arrogance and cockiness, she knew what Sirius was really like. He would spend the next hour convincing himself that he wasn't good enough for Remus, using only Lily's stories and his own lack of self-worth as evidence. She sighed, walking over and pressing a soft kiss to the top of Sirius's head. "I've got to go, but I'll talk to you later?" She said softly. Sirius glanced up at her and smiled faintly, nodding.

"Tell loverboy I said hi."

Lily chuckled, playfully swatting at his arm. "I'll see you later, Sirius." With that she spun on her heel and walked out of the living room, the sound of the front door of the flat shutting following her exit moments later.

Once he was alone, Sirius pulled out his phone, staring at it intently as if he could make a text message appear and end his nerves with his sheer force of will. However, when thirty seconds of that produced no results he sighed and put his phone down on the coffee table, picking up the TV remote instead and turning on the 28" masterpiece. All he had to do was distract himself for an hour, if he was lucky. The invention of mind numbing television could distract him for an hour. It had certainly done it before.

However, an hour and half later he wasn't distracted and still hadn't received a text from anyone.

His second empty can of Coca Cola was sitting on the coffee table beside the first and he was sprawled out of the couch, his restless tendencies getting worse as they always did when he was nervous. Every few minutes he was turning onto his side, or reaching out to check his phone again, or making some unnecessary action just to try and get rid of the energy that had built up within him.

Now he remembered why he didn't do proper relationships. They were always too nerve wracking and even the possibility of one was making him go more than a little crazy.

He started thinking about his last proper relationship. Marlene McKinnon had been crazy and beautiful and he'd fallen in love with her before he'd even known what the word meant. Their relationship had been in a similar style to James and Lily's - they had hated each other and then finally, after many argument and glares, they were together and Sirius had never been so happy before. She was his first serious girlfriend and at the time had been his one and Black, notorious for his promiscuous behaviour, was finally off the market.

If only he had known Marlene wasn't.

He figured it out when they were fresh out of school, and he walked in on her with some guy he barely knew from school. He'd slammed the door and ran out, had found James like he did whenever he needed someone, and stayed with his best mate for a few weeks before finally getting back onto his feet. He'd been back to his old self, always flirting never letting a relationship get too serious.

Until Lily convinced him it was a good idea to ask out Remus with a more serious intent. And for only the second time that he could remember, Lily had been wrong. The first time she'd been wrong, of course, being the time that she had said she would never date James Potter even if he was the last bloke on Earth.

Just as he was about to turn his phone off in defeat, the text tone sounded.

Sirius jerked up into a sitting position, looking at the phone as if it might jump from the table and sing while performing a complicated dance number. Hesitantly, he reached over and picked it up, unlocking the phone and reading the message.

_Hey. It's Remus from the bookshop. -RL_

A grin slowly spread across his face as he read the message, re-reading it a few times to check that it was real. Maybe he had been a little too rash when thinking that Lily was wrong. He wouldn't do that again. Without hesitation, he started to reply.

_Hi Remus. I thought you'd never text. How was work? -SB_

He looked down at his phone, biting his lip as he waited for a reply. He felt as if his heart actually skipped with excitement when another quiet bleep sounded through the phone's speakers.

_After you left? As boring as ever. How was your day? -RL_

_After I left the shop? Not very eventful. -SB _

Sirius grinned, his fingers hovering over his phone, waiting for their next command.

_Did you mean what you said? -RL_

_I mean everything I say. -SB_

_Even about me being sweet and cute? -RL_

_Especially about you being sweet and cute. And about wanting to go out with you. When are you free next? -SB_

The seconds seemed to stretch on as he waited for a reply, hoping he hadn't freaked Remus out. Then again, he had been this forward at the shop and Remus had still texted him later on.

_I'm free on Friday night. -RL_

Sirius let out a sigh of relief when the reply finally came, relaxing once again in his seat.

_Alright. How about we go out for dinner or something? -SB_

_That sounds great. My shift ends at half 7 on Fridays...-RL_

_Good. Should I pick you up from the shop then or...? -SB_

_Sure, seems like a good plan to me. -RL _

_Well, I can't wait to see you then. -SB_

_I can't wait either. -RL_

Sirius's heart was fluttering at the words, and it almost made him cringe how sappy he was being. He could only imagine the noises that Lily would make if she knew exactly what he was thinking right now - all of them high-pitched and expressing how cute everything was. He was very glad that he didn't have to really hear them at that very moment, it might ruin the mood a little bit.

He had a date. A real and proper date.

Friday couldn't come fast enough.


End file.
